This invention relates generally to door handles and locking devices for use with sliding doors such as a sliding glass patio door or the like. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved handle and lock assembly adapted for reconfiguration to accommodate mounting onto a vertical door stile at the left or right side edge of a sliding door.
Sliding doors such as sliding glass patio doors and the like are well-known in the art and are commonly used in residential dwellings, apartment units, etc. Such sliding glass patio doors typically comprise one or more enlarged glass panes mounted within a surrounding metal or wooden frame adapted for sliding movement back-and-forth upon a lower track or rail. A vertical stile along one side edge of the sliding door normally carries a lock assembly adapted for keyless operation from the indoor side of the door, and, if desired, for keyed operation from the outdoor side of the door. The lock assembly normally includes a hook-shaped mortise latch for engaging a mating latch keeper mounted on the adjacent door jamb to lock the door against unauthorized movement to an open position.
More specifically, a typical lock assembly adapted for use with sliding doors includes inside and outside escutcheons which are interconnected by screws or the like passed through mounting holes formed in the associated door stile. In some designs, the escutcheons define recessed or ribbed handle surfaces for manual grasping to slide the door between open and closed positions. In other designs, the escutcheons support discrete handles adapted for relatively easy manual grasping to operate the sliding door. To avoid interference with adjacent structures such as screen doors, drapery coverings and the adjacent door jamb, such door handles are commonly offset to one side of the escutcheons in a direction away from the adjacent door jamb. The lock mechanism is mounted within the stile at a position between the escutcheons, in operative association with a movable latch lever or the like mounted on the inside escutcheon.
In the past, significant design effort has focused upon the provision of a reversible or reconfigurable lock assembly which can be mounted onto the stile at either the left or right side edge of a sliding door. Such design efforts have provided door handles adapted for reversible mounting onto the associated escutcheons to accommodate left or right stile mounting positions. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,624. However, these prior designs have required the use of door handles having relatively complex shapes which can be difficult and costly to produce especially when attractive metal plating finishes are desired. Moreover, the associated locking devices at the indoor side of the door have often been relatively small to accommodate reversible mounting, wherein such small locking structures can be difficult for some persons to operate and further do not provide a highly visible indicator or flag representing the locked or unlocked state of the door.
The improved door handle and lock assembly of the present invention provides relatively large and easily grasped door handles shaped for versatile and relatively easy reversible mounting onto associated inside and outside escutcheons, and further including a relatively large and easily operated inside latch lever adapted for reversible mounting onto the inside escutcheon. All of the exposed components of the improved lock assembly are shaped for relatively economical plating with a selected high quality surface finish.